Costa Del Bournemouth!

This past week has been of annual photo opportunities ticked off - snowdrops, being a twitcher yesterday and today I thought I might as well get some big waves attacking Bournemouth Pier!

Before the nice people at Bournemouth tourism have a go at me, to be fair, this was supposed to be one of the windiest days of the winter AND it was supposed to be even WINDIER further down the coast in Devon and Cornwall. 

I can genuinely think of no other occasion down on the beach where there was not only no-one in the water (there's usually a surfer, in winter's winds) but no-one on the beach either! One walked backwards into the wind, it would have ripped the side of your face off, the combination of salty spray and sand made my face really sting taking this, as my decent waterproof Craghopper raincoat's hood couldn't quite stay on enough to cover my right cheek. A misty drizzle didn't help either!

I didn't hang about and was soon in an ultra crowded Wetherspoons having a hot dinner. When I came out, it was already getting dark, despite it being only 4 o'clock (sunset is officially 5.08) and so I looked for other shots and just walking around parts of Bournemouth I didn't know. 

By 5pm, I was damp all over, the winds so strong I actually had to hang onto a bus shelter, which was billowing and flexing like an earthquake victim! I couldn't wait for the bus home by that point and that seemed to take forever, the driver having to be cautious, so much surface water  and spray on the roads - and the bus leaked from every window seal!

Happy Saturday everybody!!